Hi,

My friend has a 2 day conference in Mainz, Germany and she invited me to go with her and make a vacation trip at the same time since it's my first time going to Europe. Her conference date is February 18 and 19, 2015. We need to fly back home by February 21st. She was thinking of going to France and Belgium before she attends the conference in Mainz, Germany. She asked me to create an itinerary and I think I need some help.

Thank you

People here will need some help if you want them to help you.

Such as ...


Where are you from?

What kinds of activities interest you?

What cities are you thinking of?

How much you want to spend on lodging, food, shopping, etc. (actual amounts or ranges, not generalities like "moderately priced hotel")?

Hi,

I am from Ontario, Canada.
Sightseeing, Plays, Theatre, Shopping, Books, Chocolates
We plan on visiting France and Belgium
Moderate price like 3 star hotels, good food ...we are not rich, only middle class.

How early can you fly out?

How many days total do you have for this trip.

"Moderate" hotel can be 100 euros to some people and 200 euros to others - you need to give a specific amount you are willing to spend - and if the two of you can share one double bed or if you need 2 beds - which is typically more expensive than the basic room.

<< We plan on visiting France and Belgium >>

All of it? Do you have a couple of months? If not then you should limit yourselves to 1 or 2 locations.

If you're not rich then you don't need to stay in 3 star hotels. 2 star hotels are plenty good enough.

From your interests it seems as though you should stay in cities or large towns. I recommend Paris and Bruges.

Theater - do you speak French and Flemish? Theater will be a it tough if you don't. How about opera?

When planning your itinerary don't forget to add in travel time from one location to the next.

How long do you have before the conference to travel in Belgium and France - Paris is an obvious place if you can spend 3 days or so there - many find Bruges the absolute highlight of Belgium - then head back perhaps thru Strasbourg - a really underrated city IMO - right on the German border so an easy train ride to Mainz from there.

for such a short trip I'd hop the train - cars and cities do not mix well and on the train you can just relax and watch the scenes glide by - trains are ultra-modern go everywhere all the time and if you book far in advance can be very cheap.

Great sites for oodles of great stuff on trains in that area - www.budgeteuropetravel.com (download their free online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of suggested rail itineraries in those countries.

But the crucial question is How Long Do You Have to Travel before hitting Mainz - longer the better of course. Fly into Paris - take the train to Bruges - then to Germany, where you will fly out of.

A problem with renting a car is that to pick one up in one country and drop it off in another can mean steep drop-off fees so for your short time I'd take the fantastic rail system.

Oh I forgot to mention two other fab rail sites: www.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com - the latter has great info on discounted train tickets that can save you a ton of money.

IMO the most important aspects here are how long you have BEFORE you need to be in Mainz and where you are flying into [and possibly out of].

Hello All,

Thank you so much for your suggestions, I appreciate it very much. To answer your questions here it is in point form:

I am bilingual (French, English and some German)

We would leave on February 17th from Ontario and her conference is on February 18 and 19th which means we would leave to go back home on February 20th

Not sure where we would fly too cause we would like to visit Paris and Belgium before she attends the conference

We would not rent a car we would take the rail system which you suggested

Flying of Ontario in February may mean weather delays. Unless the conference begins in the afternoon or evening, you need to be at the conference on the 18th, not arriving on the 18th. You really need to fly from Ontario on the 15th or 16th at the latest.

I don't see how you can go anywhere but Mainz if you are leaving Ontario on the 17th, you will arrive in Germany the next day, the 18th when the conference starts, and will be there until the 19th, and then you need to return home on the 20th. that is essentially 2 days of flying and 2 nights at the conference

if you want to go some where pre-conference, the you need to leave Ontario earlier than the 17th.

Hi

As for Bruges whereabouts would we stay and visit since it's not far from the rail system heading back to Mainz, Germany?

Yes I agree with maxima we would like to leave from Ontario on February 10th and arrive in Paris and stay 3 nights. Then leave Paris on February 14th and take the rail to Belgium or Bruges and stay there for 3 nights and then take the rail system to Mainz from Belgium or Bruges on February 17th then she would attend the conference the next day on February 18 and 19th then we leave Germany to go home on February 20th.

You're only going to be in Europe for 2 days and during those days your friend has a conference in Mainz. How could you possibly travel in France and Belgium during/before those 2 days?

Flights from North America to Europe are generally at night. If you leave Feb 17 you will arrive the morning of Feb 18.

You should re-think this plan.

We were posting the same time. So now you're leaving on Feb 10. That looks much better.

Belgium is a country and Bruges is a town in Belgium. It's like saying that you want to go to Canada or Ontario.

Bruges is small so you should add a night to Paris and stay in Bruges 2 nights rather than 3. Also, you may be tired the first day and not be able to do a full day of sightseeing in Paris.

February 10 is much better. If you have not been to Paris , add a night.

The old part of Bruges is small. You can take a train from Paris to Brussels, and from there a train to Bruges. To go to Mainz from Bruges you need to take a train to Brussels, then another train to Frankfurt and another train to Mainz.

You may want to consider going from Paris to Brussels, and stay there two nights you can easily do a day trip to Bruges. that way you can leave directly from Brussels to Frankfurt, and only change trains once in Frankfurt

Consider flying into Paris and out of Frankfurt.

I like Maxima's plan best.

you can decide when you are in Brussels whether you want to do a day trip to Bruges - which is very lovely but not much point if it's foggy or very wet. there are plenty of things to do in Brussels to fill a day and the food there is terrific.

sounds like a nice trip.

You are more likely to change trains in Köln (Cologne) than in Frankfurt.

If you go via Köln, you might want to include enough time between trains to see the magnificent cathedral, which is near the station.

Yes transiting Cologne - put your bags in a station luggage locker and stroll right next door to the world-famous Gothic Cathedral - smack right next to the train station. Then board the next train for Mainz.

you have more than one option for traveling from Brussels to Mainz . Even if you stayed in Bruges you would have to take a train to Brussels.

You can take an ICE train from Brussels-Midi to Frankfurt and get off at the airport stop where you change trains to Mainz. The train between Brussels and Frankfurt is high speed .

or you can take the high speed Thalys from Brussels to Cologne and then change trains.

for lots of information on trains, the website the man in seat 61 is well worth looking at.